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Contrary to rumors, Sergio Perez isn't looking over his shoulder following Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Red Bull Racing for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of last year and moved back to Red Bull, joining the team on a one-year contract as their reserve and simulation driver. This move has led to speculation that the Australian's presence will add pressure on Perez, who is yet to mount a serious title challenge in his two years with the team.
The Mexican, however, has quashed talk of a potential rivalry with Ricciardo. Speaking at the launch of Red Bull’s 2023 F1 car in New York on Friday (February 3), he said (via CrashF1):
“When you are at Red Bull Racing you have to perform at your best, it doesn’t matter if Daniel is here or not because Red Bull can pick pretty much any driver from the grid.”
Instead, Sergio Perez stated that he was looking forward to working with Ricciardo.
“We are fortunate to have Daniel, with the level of experience that he has. To have him back at the factory with the engineers? When we talk about the car, he knows what we are talking about. To have him around at weekends will really help.”
The 33-year-old also brushed aside the idea of having a rivalry with teammate Max Verstappen. Instead, he stressed the need for both drivers to work together to “maximize the team effort”.
Sergio Perez said:
“It’s important to work as a team. It is clear - we want to maximize the team effort. It’s not all about Max or myself, it’s about the team. We have people in the factory giving everything for us so we have to respond in that regard. I am working very hard on my side with my engineers to make sure that we can make the next step.”
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be a long season, plenty of races” - Sergio Perez looking forward to 2023 F1 season
Sergio Perez is hoping for a good shakedown and pre-season preparation with the RB19, Red Bull Racing's 2023 car.
Speaking at the launch of the new car, he shared his thoughts on the preparations for the 2023 season, saying:
“Now it’s all upto getting to a good physical level before the season starts because it is a very short time getting into the car. We are going to have only a day and a half each before the season starts, so it’s really how much you can do now and the work you can do with the engineers now and that’s the key and that’s the most you can do.”
The Mexican believes that it is important for him to make a good start to the new season. He opined:
“You get to see the new car, you really get excited and you realise the season is about to start. So I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be a long season, plenty of races. So for me it is really important, in Bahrain to get to meet the car and see how it is, and hopefully we have a good introduction because that will setup the whole year.”
